Light and Dark
by a-fan.de
Summary: An AU where Danny is still a cop, but Steve never left the Navy, and Five-0 doesn't exist. Steve was wounded in combat and is blind, but still on active duty, only of course in a different capacity. Steve and Danny meet under quite unusual circumstances. Please note that I changed the rating to a "T" - there was just a bit too much swearing and mention of violence for a "K "
1. Chapter 1

God, he hated this island, Danny thought. What was it so many people seemed to like about it? The constant heat, even now in November? The damn sunshine that was only interrupted by torrential rain once a day? The people talking in a language that most of the time sounded like English, but where every now and then he really thought he might need an interpreter? Or the fact that after 2 months in Honolulu he still hadn't found a place that served a halfway decent pizza? He just didn't get it. If it weren't for Gracie he would have been gone weeks ago. Hell he never would have come here in the first place. But there you had it: his Ex had pretty much forced him to leave home and live in the middle of the Pacific freaking Ocean. He had googled it. The Hawaiian Islands were further away from the mainland than any other island group on Earth. The loneliest place on the entire goddamn planet, for fuck's sake! So now he was away from his family, his friends, his colleagues who he had been working with for years...

„Danno? I'm hungry."

Danny looked up at the sweet brunette girl in front of him and his heart immediately softened. Yes, he hated this island with every fibre of his being, but still: as long as Gracie was around, he could do it. He could live here. „We can't have that, can we? How about...", he pretended to think hard, „ice cream?"

„Ice cream isn't food."

„It isn't? It was when I last checked. You an eat it, it tastes delicious, and I'm sure it even has valuable nutritious stuff in it, with it being made from milk and all." He winked at his daughter.

„No, Danno", Grace giggled. „They taught us in school about this. Ice cream is not good for you."

„You know, I think I should talk to your teacher. Of course it is good for you. Especially when you're spending the day on the beach, building sandcastles. Then ice cream is practically a must." He wiggled his eyebrows at his little girl. "But I get your point, you want something else. See anything you like?" He turned towards the parking lot, where a few vendors waited in their vans, selling everything from tacos to seafood.

„I want a hot dog" Grace beamed.

„And that is proper food? Wow, I really need to talk to your teacher. Next thing they'll teach you is that ketchup is a vegetable..." Grace looked at him quizzically. „Never mind monkey, come on, let's get something to stop that tummy of yours from rumbling. People might think Mount Kilauea is about to erupt." Gracie giggled and followed her Dad towards the food vans.

Twenty minutes later they were back at their spot on the beach, sitting in the shade of a parasol. Gracie had wanted to put the towel next to a palm tree, but Danny hadn't let her – way too much danger of being hit over the head by a coconut. Danny was convinced he wasn't a complete spoilsport – after all Grace had had her first surf lesson this afternoon, and what was that if not a dangerous sport? But after 2 months of constant begging by Grace and a lot of nagging by his ex, Rachel, he finally had agreed. Kono Kalakaua's surfing lessons had an excellent reputation (he had googled her, _and_ he had checked her background using the police computers), and also he would be there to rescue his monkey, if any rescuing was needed. As it turned out, there wasn't, so now he could just spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing with his daughter.

„Kono!" Grace shouted at that exact moment, and waved at her surfing teacher, a woman in her mid-20's, who was currently only wearing a bright yellow bikini. She waved back at Grace with an enthusiastic smile. That wasn't what caught Danny's eyes, though. His gaze stopped at the guy sitting in the sand at Kono's feet. He looked gorgeous. Muscular, tattoos on both arms, a nice tan, short dark hair and a face to die for. Danny tried to catch his eyes, but the man seemed oblivious to his attempts at flirting. With Grace present there wasn't too much he could do anyway.

His attention was then quickly drawn back to Grace when she started shovelling sand over his feet, apparently trying to dig him in. „Ooooh no, Monkey, we're not doing this again", he laughed. „I've already got sand everywhere, and if you don't stop digging me in it'll end up in my shorts, too. I'm not having that." He tried to look stern, but couldn't help but grinning at her, and Grace giggled. Suitably sure he wasn't going to end up in a sandy grave any time soon, Danny looked over towards the guy again. „Just my luck, seems he's taken", Danny thought at the sight of Mr. Gorgeous now hanging onto Kono's arm, both of them walking towards the water. Ah well, it was almost time to pack in and bring Grace back to Rachel's house anyway. After one last glance at the guy's back he diverted his attention back to his daughter.

5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0-5- 0-5-0

„Uh, I think someone wants your attention, Steve." Kono said, grinning.

„Yeah? Who?" Steve asked, frowning slightly.

„Oh, don't give me that look. Relax. He's the father of my newest student. From what I gather the girl's mother moved her here and he followed from New Jersey. Devoted to his kid, but seemingly not too hot about island life. I don't think I've ever heard so much fretting about the dangers of the sun, currents and sharks in one afternoon." She laughed.

„A dad, hm...? Sure he's not eyeing you up, then?"

„No way. I know when I'm being checked out, and this is not it. He's definitely looking at you. Interested?"

„He good?"

„Definitely. _Nohea_.* He's not a big guy, but with good looks, in a scruffy sort of way. Very fit. And surfer hair, which is funny considering how much he seems to despise surfing." She looked down at him. „So, you wanna go over?"

Steve considered it for a second, but then... no. He just wasn't sure, and even if he wanted, he had different things to keep in mind right now. „No, I don't think so, Kono. Come on, time to get into the water" He got up, standing next to her on the sand.

„It's always time to get into the water with you." Kono laughed. She tapped the back of his hand, prompting him to take her arm. „Let's go swimming," and they walked into the waves.

* * *

An hour later Steve and Kono were back on the beach. Steve felt good. He always felt good after training anyway, but swimming in the open sea was just so much better than in the pool on the base. He loved the beach: the smell of the salt-water, the sound of the waves... He dried his head and body with the towel, then laid on his back, letting the afternoon sun shine on his face and warm him. Good times.

Steve felt for his backpack and took his watch out of the small front compartment. The place where he always put it. This was the one thing that _really_ didn't bother him about being blind: the need for neatness. More than 10 years in the Navy had probably implemented that into his DNA anyway: always put your stuff where it belongs – you need to be able to find it half asleep and with your eyes closed.

He opened the watches lid and checked the time. It had only just gone five, which meant he still had a bit of time left before he had to head home. Kono had gone off to greet some friends she had seen, so Steve had time for himself and decided to just lie there for a few minutes, letting his muscles relax.

The next he knew, he heard someone move next to him.

„Kono?"

„Of course. Seems you fell asleep there", she smiled.

„Guess so. How long have you been gone?"

„Nearly an hour. Ben had a lot to tell about the new job he started last month. He's into environment protection now, sounds like he's doing some really good work there."

„Wow, that's good to hear. I worried a bit when he finished his surfing career. For a while all I heard was bad news about clashes with his father and jobs he lost. Good to hear he seems to have found something he likes... but whoa, did you say an hour? I'm afraid I need to get going. Joe will be coming over tonight to watch the game, and to do the USP paperwork with me."

„You're serious?" Kono jumped up. „Oh my god, Steve, that is awesome!" She beamed. „So how is that going to work? You've got to go through relays, right? You got any idea where and when those are gonna be held? Oh, I definitely want to be there, I..." she rattled.

Steve laughed and help up a hand. „Stop it, Kono, no need to get overly excited just yet. Yes, there will be relays, and going by my training times so far Joe says I should be able to get through just fine. But if I'll be going to London in the end... I have honestly no idea."

„But you've got to let me know as soon as you know anything." Kono all but begged.

„You don't really think I'll shut my best friend and honorary coach out of this, do you? You're number 1 on my speed dial, silly girl. Come on, give me a hug." He held out his arms, a goofy smile on his face. Kono fell into the embrace and let herself being hugged by Steve for a few seconds, until he pulled back.

„Alright, my future gold medal winner. Let's get you home then. Joe will kick your ass if you're late."

* * *

Thirty minutes later Steve was at the O'ahu Central bus stop, waiting for his ride home, when he remembered that he should probably at least bring some beer for Joe and him to drink during the Raiders game. He didn't really have time to go to the supermarket 2 blocks down the road, but he was pretty sure there was a small 24/7 just around the corner. He made his way to where he thought the store must be, not trying too hard to avoid other people on the side walk. He had long since figured out that his white cane made for an excellent 'snowplough'. More than a few times he'd heard people hurry out of his way when he assumed they'd seen him approach. Steve didn't take it personally. He figured people just didn't know what to do or were afraid of tripping him. Or maybe they were afraid of him tripping them with the cane? Either way, it usually meant that he had a clear path. Not counting overhanging bushes, cars parked on the side walk or other things getting in his way of course.

When he was sure he was close to the shop he listened for sound clues: sliding doors, the beeping of a scanner at the cash register, one of those rides for kids in front of the door. He couldn't make anything out though. Great. Time to ask for help then.

It had taken Steve some time after his injury and a quite a few angry fits until he finally had accepted that he wasn't as independent as he would have liked it any more. Of course, most of his day to day routines he did manage on his own (and some not so much „routine" things, too) but every now and then he needed assistance. It still could annoy the hell out of him if he had a bad day – and who didn't have those once in a while? - but usually it didn't bother him any more.

He listened out for people in the street. He heard steps approaching, and asked „Excuse me?"

„Erm... yes?" a middle-aged man's voice, sounding a little unsure.

„Hi, could you help me, please? I'm looking for the 24/7 mini-mart. I was pretty sure there was one here, but I can't seem to find it. If you could just point me into the right direction?"

„It's a bit further down the road. Over there..." Steve guessed that he was pointing at it. There was no need to call him upon his mistake, he realized it himself a second later. „Ah, dammit. Stupid me, sorry. It's about 100 m to your left." He hesitated a little before adding „You want me to take you there?"

„Thanks, but you really don't need to. To my left, you said?"

„Right. I mean, yeah, your left." The man really didn't know what to do with Steve.

Steve grinned. „Thank you, man." He started walking.

Sure enough after a short walk he now could make out the tell-tale sounds of the small shop. He found the door, went in, and a with a little more help from the shopkeeper was out just a few minutes later carrying a six-pack of beers. He had just about made it to the corner near the bus station again, when someone approached him.

„Give me the beer, dude." A man, and going by the direction of the voice, a big guy nonetheless.

„What? No way!", Steve gave back.

„Give me the fucking six-pack, you gimp!" He growled.

Steve tried to remain calm and just walk away from the guy. The man wouldn't let him though, blocking the way every time Steve made a move.

„Last warning! Give it to me!"

Steve made a forward move again. That was when the guy hit him into the face, knocking off Steve's sunglasses in the process. Steve let go of his cane and the beers, which hit the ground with the resounding clash of bottles breaking. Almost immediately Steve felt blood flowing from his nose. Now he had enough. Calm be damned.

„You **really** picked the wrong guy, idiot!", he said. And with that he grabbed the shirt of the guy, who was still standing in the same spot from where Steve thought he'd thrown the punch. With one swift move he got hold of his attacker's arms and threw him over his shoulder to the ground. His attacker cried out in pain as he hit the pavement, but Steve just moved further towards him, holding him to the ground with the hands behind his back.

„Hello?" he called out. „I've been attacked and need help. Someone call the police." He hoped that one of the people he could hear around him – probably all there to see what the commotion was about – would do as he said.

He struggled to keep the guy on the ground. The man groaned heavily from the pain Steve inflicted, but didn't stop trying to resist Steve's grip.

The police arrived after what felt like ages to Steve, but in reality probably hadn't been more than 5 minutes. Instead of helping him though they tried to pull Steve off the other man, considering him the aggressor in the whole scenario.

„I'm blind. This man attacked me, I was only defending myself." Steve wasn't sure if in the whole ruckus and the tangle of limbs anyone really listened to him. He was fully prepared to end up in cuffs himself. Someone must have heard him though, because only seconds later the policemen loosened their grip on his arms and helped him to his feet.

„Stay here, the Detective wants to talk to you." a voice said.

Someone approached him from the side. „You're Kono's friend, right?"

* * *

Danny couldn't quite believe what he saw when he arrived at the scene, having taken the call from dispatch just after leaving his ex-wife's house. Coincidence was a bitch. Did it really have to be Kono Kalakaua's boyfriend the police had to find on the pavement holding another guy down? First of all: she did have a good reputation, so what was she doing hanging out with guys who got in fights in broad daylight in down town Honolulu? Seriously? How should he let Gracie take lessons with her if he had to be afraid that one of those brutes would show up there? And secondly: it just had to be that cute guy, had it? Danny frowned at this though. Not the time and place...

Oh well, he would get this cleared calm and professionally and then see if any actions regarding Kono and Grace were needed.

By now the uniformed officers had separated the two men. Danny had heard Kono's tall friend call something about having been attacked by the other guy. He sighed, ran a hand through his hair and motioned towards the officer that he wanted to take over.

He stepped up towards the man. „You're Kono's friend, right?"

„You know Kono?" Tall cute guy's head popped up in surprise and Danny noticed he had been hurt in the fight. His nose was bleeding a bit and it must have been worse before, because there was blood over his mouth and chin, and even a bit on his t-shirt. Danny reached for a pack of tissues in his pocket and held it out towards the man. „Yeah, I know her." He didn't go into detail. „Here, get yourself cleaned up a bit." The other guy raised a brow. „Tissues? For the nosebleed?" he tried again. „Oh... yeah..." Tall cute guy held out his hand, but made no move to take the pack from Danny. Danny looked from the tissues to cute guy's hand, and back to his face, when it hit him. Seriously? Danny frowned. „Erm, call me an idiot, but... are you blind?"

„That obvious?" Tall guy asked, sounding relaxed, and to Danny's amazement even slightly amused. „What gave me away? My cane that's on the ground here somewhere or the fact that I shouted I'm blind a minute ago?" He rolled his eyes.

„Hey, I didn't hear you shout." Danny raised his hands in defence, a bit irritated by the man's attitude. „And since I only just arrived I did not search the ground for canes yet. That's only part 3 of the official police procedure in cases like these, after separating the opponents and then taking statements. You can probably guess that we've reached step 2 now, right?"

„Obviously. So what now?"

„Now... you're gonna tell me your name, personal details, and why police found you on the ground with a death grip on that kid. A kid I might add, who's about 6'5'' and a lot heavier than you, so I wouldn't mind if you added a little information on how you did it. And I really hope I like your story, cause I don't want to have to ruin my daughter's surfing lessons by being the cop who booked her instructor's boyfriend." Danny bitched.

„Boyfriend? I'm not Kono's boyfriend."

Danny's heart skipped a beat. Damn heart...Stop it, he told himself. Back to business... „That's what you're taking from what I just said? Seriously, man, you should work on your listening skills. It's... argh, forget it." He waved a hand. „First things first. I need your name, address and DOB." Danny was all business now. "You got any ID on you?"

„Sorry, ID's in the other bag," Steve shrugged. "But the name's Lt. Commander Steven James McGarrett, 5329 Kalanianaole Highway, Honolulu, Date of birth March 10th, 1977."

„Lt. Commander? You're in the army?" Danny kept writing the information down.

McGarrett flinched. „The Navy. But yeah, I am. I'm stationed at Pearl Harbor-Hickam base, but mostly work at Tripler."

Danny guessed there was probably a story behind a blind Navy officer still being on active duty, but decided he didn't really need to know it to get this statement done. It was all about the brawl, after all. „So, what happened here, then? In your own words."

„It was pretty straightforward. I was on my way home and bought some beer at a shop down the road. I was walking back to the bus station when someone demanded that I give him the bottles. I refused and tried to walk past. That's when he punched me in the face. The rest was self defence. I shouldered him, then held him to the ground and called for help."

„Well, that is straightforward. And it will match what the witness statements will be saying?"

„I don't know what witnesses there were", McGarrett raised an eyebrow, „but from where I'm standing that's the only thing they could have seen."

„Ok, you wait here, I'll check back with the officers."

'Since I'm not planing on falling off the curb or walking into a lamppost I definitely won't be going anywhere' Steve thought. „Hey, Detective? You wouldn't be able to look for my cane while you're over there anyway, would you?" he called after Danny.

The blonde turned around. „I'll see what I can do."

"And he knocked my sunglasses off, they should be there, too!"

Danny huffed in reply. "Not your servant!" He would ask the officers for it anyway, of course.

Checking back with the uniformed officers Danny quickly confirmed that the witnesses supported McGarrett's statement. The other man, a big beefy kid in his late teens, had decided not to talk. Officers only had gotten his name, Hiu Kalili, off of his driver's license, and it seems this wasn't his first run-in with the law.

„OK, bring Kalili in for further questioning, I'll take care of McGarrett. Looks like he might need to get to A&E to get his nose fixed." He turned to go back to the brunette, then back once more. „Oh, and you wouldn't have happened to find a cane and sunglasses?"

„I got the cane, Detective, the glasses... I guess in the commotion someone stepped onto them..." Officer Palakiko handed him a white and red stick and some ruined glasses. Danny eyed the cane curiously, he never actually had seen one of them up close. It was long. Well, McGarrett was a tall guy, Danny thought, so of course it had to be long. Still, it was very light. 'Must be the material', Danny guessed. Probably carbon fibre or something. The handle seemed to be genuine leather, and the cane consisted of several segments and ended in a rounded plastic tip. Danny couldn't begin to imagine what it must be to have this bit of plastic, carbon fibre and animal skin as a replacement for all the information his eyes gave him. A scary thought.

He snapped out of his thoughts and walked over to the still waiting McGarrett. His nose seemed to have stopped bleeding and he had started cleaning up his face a bit.

„OK, Commander, you're in the clear. The witnesses have confirmed what you told me. Your attacker doesn't talk. The officers will take him to the station for further questioning. I still need to write your statement down and have you sign it, but we don't need to do that now, you can just as well come to the station tomorrow."

Steve nodded.

„Seems you took quite a punch there, are you feeling alright?" Danny continued. „Honolulu Medical Center isn't far, I can take you there if you want?" It wasn't exactly standard procedure, but he had to pass the hospital anyway on his way home. Also he found the guy interesting. So what if he wanted to spend a little more time with him?

„I don't think that will be necessary", McGarrett answered. „To be honest, I really need to get home now. So, I'm free to go?"

„You are." To his surprise, Danny was a bit disappointed. „Oh, and I got you your cane." He held the aid out to the officer. „Right in front of you. Sorry, but your glasses seem to be beyond repair."

„Great, just what I needed. Oh well, whatever..." McGarrett reached out and took the cane, gripped the handle and started to move. After two steps he stopped and turned back towards Danny. „Oh wait! You said I needed to sign my statement. Where do I need to go for that?"

„Right. I can give you my card..." Danny started.

„Which won't do me any good", McGarrett interrupted him. 'Of course', Danny thought, and felt like an idiot. „Just give me a second", the Navy officer pulled an iPhone out of his back pocket and swiftly let his fingers wander over the icons until a computer voice told him he reached the „QuickVoice" app. A few more swipes over the screen, with the computer voice talking back at him and he was ready. „All right, talk away, what's the address?"

„OK, you need to get to the Honolulu PD headquarters at 801 South Beretania Street. The reception area is on the ground floor, just ask for Detective Williams. If I'm not there, a colleague will take your statement, so don't worry about what time you'll get there."

„Perfect." McGarrett ended the recording and put the phone back into his pocket and checked his watch. „OK, I really need to get going, I'm already late." He turned again, but all of a sudden was feeling a bit wobbly and started to drift off to the left. Danny noticed.

„Whoa, stop there. Are you sure you're alright? This doesn't look alright to me." He rushed the over the five steps to McGarrett.

„I'm fine. Just not used to being hit in the face anymore."

„No, you definitely don't look alright. Come on, I'll drive you to the hospital."

„No way. I'm not going to the hospital for a bleeding nose. I just need to sit down for a minute." He leaned against a lamppost, letting his head fall into his neck.

„You can sit down in my car while I'll drive you." Danny tried again. He sure as hell wasn't going to leave an assault victim – a blind one, too – on his own while he was obviously hurt. That was NOT a headline he wanted to see in the papers tomorrow if the guy passed out on the way home.

McGarrett shook his head slightly. 'The stubborn kind, huh?' Danny guessed. „OK, another offer. I'll get into major trouble if you don't get home in one piece. So how about I drive you to A&E. If you don't want to go in, fine, your decision..."

„...but you'll have your ass covered if anything happens to me? Nice one, Detective." Steve nagged.

„Hey, it's not me who's been bleeding just a minute ago and now walks like he's had too much to drink. Just offering my help here." Danny gave back exasperated. That guy was unbelievable!

McGarrett sighed. „I'm sorry. It's just that I really need to get home."

„I don't know what you've got planned tonight Commander, but if being assaulted isn't a good reason for being late I don't know what is." Danny ran his hand through his hair. „OK, last offer. I'll drive you home. It's probably better than letting you scare off the tourists with the amount of blood still on your face anyway..."

Steve sighed, but seemed to resign. „You sure?"

„I wouldn't have offered otherwise. You do live in Honolulu, so it can't be that much of a drive, I guess." And it's not as if I had to get home to anything, he added mentally.

„OK then." Steve gave in. If he was being honest he kind of liked the Detective's way of doing things. Annoying, but caring. „You got your car nearby?"

„Of course. One of the upsides of being a police Detective – you can park anywhere near a crime scene."

„Probably a good idea. Just imagine being called somewhere and having to get a parking ticket first..." Steve tried to grin, but scrunched his nose when a sharp pain shot through his head. His left hand flew up to his temple.

„I'm really not sure I should drive you home."

„I'm not going to the hospital." Steve once again growled.

„OK, OK..." Danny raised his hands in resignation. „Come on then... How do we do this?"

„Just let me hold on to your elbow, that'll give me enough sense of direction to easily follow you."

„Right. And I guess I should warn you about steps and such?"

„No need. I'll still use my cane to look out for myself. Let's go, Detective." He grabbed Danny's right arm, and Danny was wondering how he knew where exactly he was. But then the man had just taken out a guy at least one size bigger than him. Perhaps he had some secret ninja skills...

Danny started walking, hesitantly at first, then with faster steps when he realized that McGarrett followed him easily. Well, he did have longer legs. He glanced over tat the taller man: head held high, back straight. The whole way he held himself practically screamed 'military!'. His cane swept the ground from left to right with practised ease. His face didn't give away much for Danny, but he seemed to look a bit strained, which the Detective attributed to the dizziness and the pain the man experienced just minutes ago.

Danny's gaze was drawn to McGarrett's eyes. He noticed some faint scars around them, and also some faded lines on the rest of his face. He didn't ask though. None of his business.

„Here we are then. The passenger seat is all yours." He opened the door. „Careful with your head, for someone your size the car might be a bit low..."

„It certainly feels like it." Steve laid a hand onto the roof. „What is it?"

„Camaro. Shipping my old wheels to the island would have been way too expensive, so when I came here I decided to buy a new one."

„You bought a new car on Hawaii? On a cop's salary? You're mad!"

„Hey, careful there. There had to be at least one good thing about moving to this pineapple-infested hell-hole, so why not buy my dream car? Now get in", he commanded.

„Yes, Sir..." Steve mumbled almost inaudibly, grinning slightly. Since there probably weren't two cops who were new to Hawaii and who had a kid taking surfing lessons with Kono, this had to be the guy who Kono told him had checked him out earlier that day. What a weird coincidence.

Steve folded his long frame into the passenger seat, carefully avoiding to hit his head on the car body. „You know the way?"

„Well, I know Kalanianaole Highway, but I've not been on this rock long enough to know the numbers by heart. So – which district is it?"

„Aina Haina, not far behind the shopping center."

Danny had trouble keeping his mouth shut. That was one nice neighbourhood.

They reached McGarrett's house only 10 minutes later, after a drive that was mostly spent in silence. Despite his attempts at conversation earlier it was obvious to Danny that McGarrett was still in pain. At least his nose hadn't started bleeding again, so that seemed to be alright.

„Are you kidding me?! Ocean front property, too? Man, the Navy must be paying really good." Danny gasped, his mouth definitely faster than his brain this time.

McGarrett didn't seem offended though. „Not really. My family has owned the house since the 1920's. No way I could have bought myself into a neighbourhood like that on my wages. They're good, but definitely not that good." He laughed.

Danny stopped the car in the driveway. „All right, here we are. Do you need help?"

„In my own yard? Hardly. Just tell me where we're parked. I'm guessing about half-way up the drive?"

„Uh..." Danny was impressed. How did he do that?

„Don't worry", Steve said, as if he had read the Detective's mind. „I can just about hear the wind chimes at the front door, which gives me a pretty good indication of our position. No voodoo involved. So... thanks for the ride."

„Any time." Danny smiled. „Though I still think I should have driven you to A&E."

„And still I really don't think I need to go there. Some ice will do the trick just fine. But don't worry, I'll get a visitor in about an hour, so you won't really leave me on my own."

Again Danny found it somewhat surprising which information his brain decided to highlight from this statement. „You live here on your own?" he asked. And then, seeing McGarrett seemingly a bit taken aback, quickly added: „Uh, sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't. A cop problem: I need to know everything about everyone..." he trailed off. 'Nice one', he thought to himself.

Luckily McGarrett seemed to be satisfied by his words. „Yeah, I do live on my own." 'And why exactly are you interested in that?' he added mentally. „So, see you tomorrow at HPD, Detective." Steve got out of the car, let his cane unfold and made his way over to the house without hesitation. Only when he reached the front door and went inside Danny reversed out of the driveway and was on his way home a few seconds later.

* * *

„Oh God, what am I getting myself into here?" he mumbled as he turned into the street where his apartment complex stood. The man wasn't just gorgeous, he also seemed to be a genuinely nice guy. As far as he could tell after knowing him for an hour. Keep cool, Williams, he told himself. He would see him again tomorrow. And he definitely wanted to spend more than an hour with Steve McGarrett then. Or did he? Damn...

* * *

Inside his living room, Steve put an ice pack onto his nose and laid back on the sofa. He smiled. Maybe being hit by that idiot would do him something good, too. After all he would meet Detective Williams again soon. Kono will love this, he thought.

* * *

*nohea = Hawaiian for "handsome"


	2. Chapter 2

First of all: THANK YOU for all the reviews and follows, the response has blown me away. I hope I can do justice to your expectations.

Second, because it came up in some of the reviews: I'm sorry, but I'm not planning on giving Steve his sight back. I'm just not a fan of "miracle cures" that seem to happen all the time in tv shows / books etc. Ok, I don't really know yet where the plot bunnies will take this story, but just as a fair warning: it's extremely unlikely. I hope you're gonna stick with this nevertheless.

And third: my 'inspiration' to start this, because this story is just too good to not share it. Here's a link to an article (in English) about a mugger picking the wrong 'helpless victim'. This happened a few years back, and I actually laughed out loud when I read it: www. spiegel. de/international/zeitgeist/the-wrong-victim-mugger -targets-blind-judo-champion-a-504854. html (just take the spaces after the full stops/periods out of the address, ff won't let me post a 'proper' link)

* * *

Danny was disappointed. He really had hoped to see McGarrett the next day at HPD. But then an 18 year old kid had decided that he wanted to impress his Yakuza bosses by challenging the local drug cartel, and Danny had had to go and pick up the pieces. 3 pieces, to be exact. One hand, one head, and the rest of the body. While Danny was working the crime scene his partner Chin Ho Kelly had gone to try and appease the bosses. The last thing they needed was a full-blown drug war.

When Danny had returned to his desk later he had found a written statement of yesterday's events at the bus station, taken by one of the Sergeants and signed by Lieutenant Commander Steven McGarrett. Blast!

Danny had spent the better part of an hour the night before debating with himself whether or not he should try things with McGarrett. „Things" as in 'ask him out for a beer and take it from there. But would that really be a good idea? First of all he didn't know if McGarrett would at all be interested. And what were the chances for that? A gay Navy Lieutenant Commander? Really? Statistically there had to be some, but what were the chances that he, Danny, met one? And if things worked out: would the 'blind' thing matter? Logically it shouldn't, but still: would it?

OK, time to stop it, he had told himself. He had started planning out things way before he even had made the first step. A complete waste of time.

Danny had sat down on his sofa. It wasn't as complicated as his brain had tried to convince him of. He liked the man (even though he was annoyingly stubborn), the guy was hot, and he wanted to get to know him better, and as far as he could tell for now, he had no problem with McGarrett not being able to see. The only possible outcome then had to be this: ask him out for a drink the next time you meet him.

And now this. Danny sulked. Fate was a bitch, chances of him seeing McGarrett again seemed to be slim at best. maybe he could ask Kono...? Or better not...

„Hey, Meka?" he called to a Sergeant, the one who had signed the statement next to McGarrett.

„Yeah?"

„The statement you took from McGarrett..."

„Who?"

„The blind guy? You know, the assault at Honolulu central bus depot?"

Meka laughed. „Oh, yeah. Best report I've written in ages. 'Robber chooses wrong victim, gets overpowered by blind ex-Navy SEAL." He had a wide grin on his face.

„He's a Navy SEAL?" Danny marvelled.

„He didn't tell you?"

„We never got round to that. He just said he's stationed at Pearl Harbour-Hickam, didn't ask for more info."

„Well, here you have it then: he's been a SEAL. Surprised?"

Not really, Danny thought. That certainly explains the man's combat skills. Christ, that Kalili guy was probably lucky he didn't get seriously hurt." What he says though is "a bit maybe. Anyway: is it all wrapped up? You got a complete statement? "

"It's all there, yes. And I think the guy who attacked him by now has signed a confession."

So no reason for McGarrett to come by again. Or for Danny to pay him a visit. Damn. He was more disappointed than he really liked to admit to himself. He didn't have time to ponder on that feeling, since his partner Chin used that moment to make his entrance, carrying the ME's preliminary report on the dead kid.

"ME confirmed the obvious. The kid was killed by a gunshot wound to the head. And thankfully the hand and the head were cut off post-mortem."

"Thank God for small mercies" Danny muttered. "Anything on the gun?"

"A .38 calibre. We got the shell casing, with some lovely markings on it, so if we find a gun to compare it to, it will make nice evidence.

* * *

The case kept Danny and Chin busy for the next week and consumed pretty much all of their time. Danny didn't even make it to Grace's surfing lesson, for which he promised he would hold the killer personally responsible. Then on Thursday Chin and he finally found a key witness and were able to arrest a suspect. Danny breathed a sigh of relief, and filed the last report he needed before handing the case over to the DA's office.

"Yo, Danny!" Chin called. Danny turned around to see his partner come down the stairs towards his desk. "Malia and I are doing a house-warming party this weekend. A small luau for some family and friends this tomorrow. You wanna come?"

"A luau? That's a traditional Hawaiian dinner, right?"

"I'm afraid we'll give the kalua pig a miss, but yes, basically it's family, friends, food and drinks, and my brother promised some fireworks later in the evening."

Although he'd been on the island for nearly 3 months now, Danny knew virtually nobody, apart from his his daughter, his ex-wife, her new husband Stan, his colleagues and his elderly neighbour Mrs Leland, whom he helped carrying her groceries on his second day. She's looked in on him once or twice a week ever since. So this invitation came as a welcome diversion from his "a beer and a movie" or "a book and a beer" nights. Also he wouldn't have Grace again until next Wednesday, so he was free anyway.

"Yeah, I'd love to come. Only if you want to have me there, of course."

"I wouldn't have asked otherwise, brah." Chin answered, smiling.

"So what do I bring?"

"Just a few beers will be fine. Malia already delegated food duties amongst her cousins. We'll have enough to feed an army, as always. So make sure you don't eat anything after breakfast." He grinned. "Dinner will be around 7, but experience says that most people will start showing up from 5."

"Fantastic. I'll be there," Danny smiled. Five minutes later he was out of the office and on his way home.

* * *

Steve was up early on Saturday. He had never been a late riser, not since his Navy days anyway, where he had rarely ever gotten to sleep past 6 AM. Ever since he was back home, he had acquired a slightly new morning routine. First a small breakfast, fresh fruit and cereals, then he would make his way to the pool and swim 3000 yards, then he either went off to work or do whatever else he had planned. Today was a day for "whatever else". Kono was going to pick him up for Chin and Malia's luau, which he was looking forward to a lot. The couple had moved into their new house in Pearl City two weeks ago, but Steve hadn't been there to visit yet. Kono had raved about it though, describing it vividly and enthusing about the stunning view over Ewa Forest Reserve, which was pretty much in their back yard.

"It's amazing," she had said. "It's so close to the city, Chin and Malia will be able to get to work in no time, but still very quiet and relaxed. Not a bit of the city's hustle, just birds singing and an amazing view. And they have a huge back garden, much better than at Chin's last place!"

"So he will finally be able to hold his luaus at his place, instead of occupying mine all the time?" Steve grinned.

"Definitely, brah. Though you're not off the hook completely, you know that, right? You're still the one of us with the private beach."

"As if you would stop coming over even if I asked you to. You never did that before, you won't do it now." Not that Steve minded. He loved having his friends around him. He had spent over 10 years in the Navy, and he had had some good friends there, but these were the people he had know for most of his life now. Chin had been at his High School. They hadn't had much contact back then – Steve had been 3 years below Chin and had mostly admired the star quarterback from a distance, and Chin had hardly noticed the younger boy all – but later when Chin had been a young cop just out of the academy, Steve's dad had been his training officer. They had often met at the barbecues his dad held, and finally started to go surfing together. And when Steve's mum had been killed and his dad sent him away, Chin was one of the few friends who held the contact. It had helped the homesick boy a lot. And then a year ago, when Steve had come back home wounded, with his dad murdered only weeks before, Chin and his family had been there for him all the way. They had visited him at Tripler, brought news from the island or listened on the rare occasions when he wanted to talk, and had helped him to settle back into island life in general, and to adjust to his life as a blind man in specific, helping out when he needed help and staying back when didn't want it. The least Steve felt he could do was throw a party for his ohana every now and then.

Kono picked him up shortly after lunchtime. And – a bit strange, Steve thought – she had insisted on him changing his clothes before they'd go. He had been in his usual casual party attire of board shorts and one of his Naval Academy t-shirts. Kono had insisted that the shirt was just too faded and surely he didn't want to look like a hobo when meeting his friends. Steve was pretty sure that he wouldn't stick out among the people he expected to be there. This was a luau after all, not the Governor's Winter Ball. His reasoning had fallen on deaf ears though, Kono had steadfastly refused to take him "the way he looked", and could he please put on some cargo pants and something other on his feet than slippers?

At this point Steve had become deeply suspicious. "You're not telling me that another of Malia's cousins will be there, right? I swear to you, Kono, it it's Anna, I'm staying home..."

Anna was one of Malia's third-grade cousins, and in an ill-fated attempt to "find someone for Steve" had been invited to a party about half a year ago. It had ended in a disaster, when Steve – after being babied by the woman all night, she had even wanted for him to "see" her face with his hands, and what was that if not weird if you hardly knew a person? – had decided to end it before things had really started. He had told her in no uncertain words that he was sure that she was a nice enough woman, but that he really didn't think the two of them could make things work. Anna had cried for the rest of the evening, which had more or less ruined the night for everyone else.

"God, no!" Kono exclaimed. "I think Malia has given up on inviting her to anything where single men might be around. Too much danger of another flash-flood... I just thought you might want to look good for tonight. It is kind of a special occasion for Chin and Malia, after all."

"I am not sure that I should believe you... but I get your point," he gestured towards the closet. "There should be a light blue shirt in there that might find your approval."

Kono jumped at the chance. Steve's closet was – as were all his things around the house – neatly organised. The right hand side was reserved for his various Navy uniforms, dress blues etc., next to it the shirts and t-shirts were roughly arranged by colour. She found what she had been looking for on the far left side.

"Perfect." She smiled at her work when Steve had put on the shirt over his t-shirt. Not the old Navy tee of course, but a well fitted plain white one that Kono had chosen, and which showed off his abs nicely. "Now about the shoes..."

"Give it up, Kono. I'm wearing slippers or I won't come." Steve threatened.

She sighed and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her right ear. "OK, OK. Was worth a try though. You got everything you need?"

Steve asked her to get the bottle of red wine from the kitchen that he had bought as a house-warming gift, then grabbed his cane from the coat hanger and waited for her outside the front door.

* * *

Traffic was bad, and it took them almost an hour to get to Chin's place in Kono's bright yellow pick-up truck. They still arrived 2 hours before everybody else was expected, which was what Chin, Kono and Steve had agreed on. This way Chin would have time to give Steve the 'grand tour' through the house and garden, and while it probably wouldn't be enough for him to get by completely on his own for the evening, he'd have a good enough idea of his surroundings to get along.

"Hey, brah, howzit?" Chin greeted Steve when he got out of the car. Steve held his fist out in front of him, and Chin bumped into it as a way of greeting. He smiled, a warm smile that made his whole face light up and which Steve could hear clearly in his voice. "Glad you could make it. I hope Joe didn't give you too much of a hard time for taking half a day off of training?"

"You kidding? He nearly made me promise to swim twice my usual distance tomorrow. I took me an hour to convince him that even the most professional athletes are entitled to half a day off every now and then."

"Sounds like today's going to be the last bit of fun you're allowed to have for the next 10 months. Better make the most of it then."

"I'm certainly going to try. And here, I think this," he handed the wine bottle over, "might help with it. Congratulations on the new house."

Chin glanced at the label appreciatively. "A Twomey 2007 Napa Valley Merlot? Wow, good choice, Steve. Thank you."

„You know you'll have to thank the wine dealer, I have no idea how to distinguish the good stuff from the bad. I prefer a good beer any day, but I'm glad you like this. So, ready to show off your new residence?"

„Aye, aye, Commander," Chin mock-saluted, then turned to Kono. „Better check on Malia, I think she needed help with your mum's coconut cake recipe." Kono started walking over to the front door. „I hope you can salvage the wreckage I saw earlier," Chin called after her, then put his arm into Steve's waiting outstretched hand. „Did I tell you how much I love this house? Best thing that could have happened to Malia and me. Perfect for the two of us and maybe one or two little ones in a few years. I guess you've already noticed how quiet it is around here, that's cause it's residential area only. Means of course we'll have to drive a few minutes to do our shopping, but I really don't mind. After all in exchange we have Ewa Forest Reserve right at our back door. I mean it. There's even a small footpath the former owner used to get into the reserve. Only takes about 5 minutes to get there."

While Chin talked the two of them had walked around the house and were now standing in the back yard. „Let me show you the lanai first," Chin said, leading Steve up two wooden stairs. „OK, we're at the back of the house now, the lanai's abou metres. Directly left of us – right when you come out of the house - is a table with four chairs. That's where we'll set up the food trays later tonight, by the way." Steve let go of Chin's arm and walked to his left a step, until his cane touched the base of the railing.

"This about right?" He asked Chin.

"Pretty much. The first chair is about two more steps away." Chin watched as Steve felt his way forward. It still pained him to see his old friend this way, but then the pain often enough was replaced by his admiration at how Steve had handled everything, and for a while now a feeling of 'normality' had settled in. Sometimes he thought that Steve had to be pretty much the cliché of the wounded war hero claiming back his life. And maybe that was true. Steve had been out of Afghanistan for 2 weeks and had been at Tripler for 3 days when Chin had visited him for the first time, and by then he had already been back on his feet, exploring the hospital corridors and making his way out into the gardens. He'd insisted that if this was to be his new life, then he might as well start it now and not wait until someone else helped him live it.  
But of course there had been setbacks and bad days as well, from spilled drinks and miscalculated doorways to Steve getting lost in a neighbourhood he had known all his life. Steve was no superhero. But he was proud, he was clever, and he was determined. So for the first 6 months after coming back to O'ahu he had put almost all of his energy into learning the blind skills he needed. Now that he had those internalised, he had changed the direction of his determination towards his swim training. Chin had no doubt that his friend would become the best paralympic swimmer he could be. He feared for the day when Steve ran out of goals and fell into an emotional black hole, though. His doctors always had said that would happen, but it hadn't so far. Chin still wasn't sure if that was because Steve kept himself busy or if he really was that emotionally stable. He guessed he would find out eventually, and – if needed – pick up the pieces.

"I like this carving. Those chairs are new, right?" Steve's voice pulled Chin out of his thoughts. "What is it? A turtle?" He ran his left hand along the back of one of the chairs, fingers lightly touching the carved animal on top of it.

"Yeah, Malia wanted something other than the plastic chairs we had before. She found these at a small cabinet-maker's in Waimea. They're teak, perfect for the Hawaiian weather."

Steve nodded, continuing his way around the lanai, until he reached the stairs – and Chin – again, getting a feeling for the dimensions of the place. "How about the garden?" He held out his hand for Chin again.

"I'm afraid we're going to change the set-up there a little bit later – add chairs and tables, Akoni will man the BBQ, the usual. But I guess I should show you the way to the pool."

"To make sure I don't accidentally drown during the luau?" Steve grinned.

"I don't see any scenario where you would drown, brah, but you don't have a change of clothes, mine won't fit you, and Kono's going to kill me if you drip over her car seats. Or maybe you'll just be in the mood for a swim? With you one never knows, so better to be prepared." He led Steve down the stairs again. "Directly in front of us and to the left is the lawn. Just one obstacle, a palm tree pretty much in the centre of it." They walk to the fence at the back.

"Do I smell guavas?"

Chin sighs. "Yeah. The only downside of this place. Those things are like a pest around here. I guess I'll have to cut them back regularly or in a year or so we won't have a back yard any more."

"Well, at least there's always fresh fruit available."

"Yeah, cause that's such a problem in Hawai'i usually..." Chin's voice dripped with sarcasm as he rolled his eyes.

Half an hour later, when Steve was pretty sure that he'd got the basic layout of house and garden down and would be able to get along without hurting himself or others, they headed over to the kitchen for a beer. Malia popped her head in. "Hi, Steve," she greeted, then turned towards her husband. "If you're done, can you please help Akoni set up the tables? The first guests will arrive soon and I'd rather have everything prepared by then."

...guess who's coming for dinner *g*


End file.
